Conveyer



Sept. 20, 1932. J HATT 1,877,862

CONVEYER Filed March 13, 1929 dttouwq a.

V corresponding perforate lugs orilears pro Patented Sept. 20, .1932

} UNITED STATES PATENT"OFFICE- nneuszr. narrtmonnocx SPRINGs,wYo1a rI1-Is, iissrerno'n, BY Mn'sNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0

GOODMAN 1viAnuFAc'rname"ooiulmmr, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION on ILLINOIS ICONVEYER nection of adjoining conveyor .sectionsmay be effected much more quickly than hereto fore.

The common practice ha'sv-beento connect the conveyersections to one another bymeans of bolts and'nuts, the bolts extending vthrough vided for'the. purpose at the ends ofthe sections. Naturally,"placementof the bolts in the. lugs andzscrewing' up the'nuts' todra'w the sections together when they :are being assembled, or, unscrewing of the'nuts rand-removal of thebolts when ,sectlons are being idisconnected, takes considerable time, resulting-inf delays in the removal or addition of zconveyerv sections to suit the particular conditions under which the conveyenis being used. These delays are particularly :ObjectiOnable and costly in coal mining operations to'which the oshakertype'of conveyer is especially adapted and in which field it is no w in extensinesuse. Vhth the present invention,;the ft1me neces-' sary to connect or disconnect the 'conveyer sect ons is reducedito:a'im1n1=mum.= 1

With the old nut and bolt connection be tween the sections, frequentlyitzis toundidifiicult to assemble conveyor sections-properly, when the sections'and the tasteni-nglugs vor" ears-are'bentor otherwisedistorted. I Under these conditions it is diflicult to proper-1y aline the perforate ilugs in order 'to' place the bolts in position therein without damaging them so that the nuts cannot beiput in place.

together, butalso to cause the ings to .be' properly alined with reference to 'eac'h other so that the adjoining 'conv'eyer sections "will 1 overlap "and nest one within the 7 v p I 7 i s fastening :devices the parts'being disassem-t P p r y other.

uAi particular object of'the invention-sis the provision of means for connecting the con veyer sections which shall render itiunnecessary to Ychangethe. conventional construction of the sections. l' hus, the connecting means may. beapplied to the many units of this'and similartypes already in use. v v

V In order that the connecting'ior fastening means'mayrbe applied orremoved quickly, as 1 v few partsas posssible are used and their modef ofzasseinbling and disassembling is quite simple', so asnot to require the'employmentzof skilled ihelp or the use of specialrtools-"All of the fastener parts are'designeditotully withstand the stresses to Which they may be subjected .in use, and, in fact, furnish: :a con;-

nection between" the conveyer sections 135' strongas, and possibly stronger than, that provided'by the usualbolts anemia; Other obj ects; of the invention I will appear herein? after.

, In the accompanying drawing, which 51- r lustr-atesa pra'ctical embodiment-of theinvention,

Figure 1 represents a side elevational'view of a palr of ad o1n1ng shaker. lconveyer'sections iof the conventional or standardftype V with the improved joint orconnectiontherebetween";

conveyer sections;

Fig; 3, an enlarged side elevational View o f. one ofthe fastening devices as it appears 'When assembled, certain of the parts being lln the proposed:arrangement, it isintended broken away rcroopera'tmg of that the fastening means, when in place, shall serve not only to draw the lugsclosely perforate lugs being .shown in' longitudinal -Fig. 2,-a transverse section taken on-l ine;

threezparts which .go to make upeachqof the bled in order to show the details of their constructions.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown a pair of adjoining shaker conveyer sections 1, 2 of conventional construction. The cross sectional form of these sections appears clearly in Fig. 2, from which it will be noted that each section, which is made from heavy gage sheet metal, is formed so as to have outwardly inclined sides 3, 1. Both of the sides of the section are stepped or offset intermediate their edges in order to providea horizontal ledge or shoulder 5. The upper edges of the sides are formed with integral horizontal portions 6, while the bottom of the conveyer section or pan is made flat as'shown at 7.

Suitably secured to the conveyor section near each end thereof is the usual bolt strap 8, which is preferably made of strap iron. As appears from Fig. 2, strap 8 bears against the under side of'bottom 7 of the pan or conveyer section and at itsends is bent so as to form lugs or ears 9, 10 having longitudinallydisposed openings therethrough. The 'extreme-ends of bolt strap 8 are bent upwardly and are suitably secured, as by rivets 11, to angle plates 12, 13, the latter being secured, as by welding, to the under side of ofi'sets in the sides of the conveyer section.

It will be noted from Fig. 1 that the bolt straps 8 are duplicated on the ends of each of the conveyer sections or pans. In the same figure, it will be seen, that where the adjoining conveyor sections are connected togetherone of the bolt straps 8 which is in cluded in this connection, is located at the extreme end of its section, so that its outerv edge is flush with the end of the pan. The

cooperating bolt strap 8 on the adjoining conveyer section which is included in this.connection however, is set back a short distance from the end of its section, so that the con veyer sections may overlap somewhat and partially nest one within another as shown at 14 in Fig. 1. r

Bolt" straps 8 on the various conveyor sections are so proportioned that, when proximate sections are brought together as shown in Fig. 1, the openings or perforations in lugs or projections 9, of the bolt straps will bein alinement with each other.

With the adjoining conveyer sections or pans 1, 2 in position as shown in Fig. 1, the corresponding or adjoining lugs 9 and 10 are ready to receive the fastening means. arate set offastening means or a separate fastening device is provided for each pair of cooperating lugs, one for one side of the conveyer and another for the opposite side at the points of connection of the sections.

members, viz., a pin 15, a link or strap 16'and a taper key or wedge 17. lThe preferred 5 form and construction ofthesemembers ap- A seppears clearly in Figs. 3 and 4. Pin 15, which is substantially circular in transverse section, is formed with an elongated straight body portion 18 the free end 19 of which is slightly tapered at 19. At its opposite end pin is bent back upon itself so as to form a semicircular lug-engaging or clamping end por' tion 20. Beyond this point, pin 15 is provided with a substantially straight portion 21 which is approximately parallel to, but spaced somewhat from the body portion 18. The outer extremity 22 of pin 15 beyond straight portion 21 is inclined upwardly away from the body portion 18 of the pin and towards the free end'thereof. While the several portions of pin 15 are bent relatively to each other as described, it willbe noted that they all are disposed substantially in a single plane.

Referring further to Figs. 3 and d, it will be seenthat the inclined end 22 of pin 15 is provided with a transverse opening 23, which opening however extends longitudinally of the body of the pin. Preferably opening 23 is rectangular in cross-section in order to properly coact-with the other parts of the fastener. The purpose of the bevelled portion 24 on the inclined end 22 of the. pin will appear later;

With a pair of conveyer sections substantially in the position of Fig. l, the free end 19 of the pin is inserted in the outer end of the opening through the left-hand ear or lug 9, and, with the aid of a hammer or any other suitable implement appl-ie'd'to portion of the pin, the pin is driven through the opening in this lug and-into the opening in the adjoining lug,'until the semi-circular portion 20 of the pin is brought .into contact with the outer end of the first-mentioned lug, see Fig. 3. The entering of end 19 of the pin into the openings through the lugs, will'be facilitated transverse section, the width of the member being considerably greater than its thickness, as appears from Fig. 4;. At its right-hand endlink 16 is bent downwardly so as to form a lug-engaging or clamping hook portion 26 the free extremity 27 of which is substantial- 1y circular in vertical cross-section and somewhat tapered so as to properly cooperate with the opening through the right-hand lug 9 in which it is placed as shown in Fig. 8. When the hook end 26 of link 16 is so located in the right-hand lug 9-, the opposite end thereof is swung inwardly toward the lugs, so as to cause the inclined end 22 of pin 15 to enter the circular'openiing 28 in the body of link 16 and project therethrough, for which also see Fig, 3. Passage of end '22 of .pin '15 I through opening 28 is facilitated by the inclined surface24 orrtheend of thepin. l/Vhen the parts of the fastener are in this position,

note that the lower portion of the body-of link 16 at the bottom of opening 28- therein I is in contact at 29,. Fig, 3, with the left-hand side of the inclinedportion 22 of pin 15.

The next and laststep is the placing in position of the third member of the fastening device, namely key orwedge 17. This member, as shownin Fig. 4:, is preferably recof being bent substantially at right angles to the body of the member so as to form head or driving portion 31. The free end end of opening 23 in the upper end of pin 15 above the link. 16, as shown in Fig. 3, and, with the aid of a hammer or other suitable tool applied to its head 31,. the wedge'17 is driven through the opening. Movement of the wedge through opening 23 results in the wedge forcing the body portion 25 oflink 16 tudinal drawing together or shortening of the '49" over all length of the cooperating pin 15 aaid.

link 16. Consequently, since the lastqnentioned members are securely engaged with the open ends of the adjoining lugs 9, this actien of the members 15 and 16 not only will cause the lugs to be drawn into end to end engagement with each other, but the lugs also will be properly alined with each other.

Frequently, due to the rough usage -to I which they are subjected, the conveyor sec.-

5otions are bent'or otherwise distorted, so that, when they are assembled'the cooperating lugs 9, 10 are not in alinement. This rendersit diiiicult to fasten the conveyer'sections together and prevcntsproper nesting of the sections at their oints. VVith on-e of'the fastoning devices herein described' applied each side of the c'onveyer, the cooperating pairs of lugs '9, 10 are drawn intoitheir proper positions, as shown in Fig. 1 andthepanor fid'conveyor sections'are held rigidly in correct relationto each other. I I Alinement ofthe 'coacting lugs '9, 10 when the fastening means are in "place,'is assured by the proper shaping and proportioning of I the several parts, so -that when theyare in tangular invertical cross-section and tapers I toward its free end 30, the opposite end there- 30 of the key .17 is placed in the right-hand so ciently large. to permitmovement of the It will be clear that, .due to this cn= place, they-will assume the relationship to each other shown in Fig. 3.

When it is desired todisconnect adjoining conveyersections, as for instance when it is necessary 'to-shorten the conveyer, the fas-' toning-means described are readily removed by driving out the wedge 17, swinging up the straight end of link 16, and removing this member and pin 15 from the fastening lugs.

While the fastening means have been describedavith-the pininserted at the lefthand side of the adjoining fasteninglugs, it will be obvious that the pin'may be insertedfrom the right-hand side and the other parts reversed accordingly. 3 I v The present invention provides a conveyor construction in which a highly desirable type of joint or connection is employed between the sections of the conveyer, whereby as-s sembling and disassembling of conveyer sections is facilitated. The fastening' means used in connecting the sectionstogether is of simple construction :and there'f'ore may be manufactured readily'on a quantity production basis.

While a practi I vention has been illustrated and described, it will be, apparent that variouschanges therein may be vmadewithout departing from the invention. Hence,the claims are to be read without restrictionto minor details unless such-limitation be expressed therein.

"What is claimed is: i In aconveyer, the combination of two conveyor sections assembled .7 in end-to-end relation with one another; perforate lugs on respective sections said lugs being juxtaposed when the sections are assembled; a pair of fastening members each having a portion which engages in the perforation in :a corresponding one of two uxtaposed lugs, and a portion external to said lugs; and ad ust:

able means external to said lugs-for connecting" the external portions of saidfastening members and stressing them in tension.

2. The combinatioirin conveyer, of a pair of conveyer sect-ions disposed end to end, said sections being provided with cooper-at ing perforate fastening. lugsyand a pair of ad-j ustably' connected members one of which has a lug-engaging portion and the other an end portion locatedin the perforations in said fastening lugs. I V In a conveyor, the combination of two conveyor sect ons assembled in end-to-end cal embodiment of the in r relation with oneanother perforate lugs onv respective sections said lugs. being juxtaposed when the sections are assembled; a pair of fastening members e'aclrhaving' a portion which engages in the'perforation in a corresponding one of two uxtaposed lugs,

and a portion external to said lugs; means affording a wedging engagement betweenthe external portions of said fastening members to establish a tensile 1 stress andla memberdistinct from said fastening members and operable to force said members into such wedging engagement.

4C. In a conveyer, thecombination of two conveyer sections assembled in end-to-end relation with one another; perforate lugs on respective sections said lugs being juxtaposed 7 when the sections are assembled; a pair of fastening members each having a portion which engages in the perforation in a corresponding one of two juxtaposed lugs, and a portion external to said lugs;.means affording a wedging engagement between the external portions of said fastening members to establish a tensile stress; and a wedge member distinct from said fastening members and reacting with said members to force them into wedging engagement with one another.

5. Accnveyor comprising a pair of conveyer sections disposed end to end in overlapping relation; a plurality of perforate fastening lugs on each of said sections with corresponding lugs located adjacent each other; a main fastening member for each pair of corresponding lugs, the shank of each of said members being located within the openings of said pair of lugs and the outer end of the member being perforated; a secondary fastening member for each pair of corresponding lugs, one end of each of said secondary members being hook-shaped and engaging the opening inone of said pair of lugs, the other end of the secondary member being perforated to receive the outer perforate end of the corresponding main fastening member; and a tapered pin located in the perforate end of each of the main fastening members.

6. The combination in a conveyer, of a pair of'adj oining conveyer sections provided with' a pair of perforate fastening lugs; a pin having a substantially straight body portion located in the perforations in said pair of lugs, the outer end of the pin being inclined with reference to said body portion and having an opening therethrough; a link engaging at one end with one of said pair of lugs and provided with an opening through which the inclined end of the pin projects; and a wedge located in said opening in the pin between said link and the outer end of the pin.

7. The combination in a conveyer, of a pair of adjoining conveyer sections, said sections being provided with perforate fastening lugs disposed end to end; a pair of adjustably connected fastening members each of which has aportion engaging one of said pair of lugs, one of said members at the point of connection thereof being provided with an inclined surface which coacts with the other member to draw the members and the lugstogether; and means for forcing one of the fastening members into wedging of the pin.

engagement with said inclined surface of the other member.

8. In a conveyer construction, the combination of a pair of adjoining conveyer sec tions having a pair of perforate fastening lugs with the openings therethrough disposed in alinement with each other; a pin having a straight body portion extending entirely through theopening in one of said lugs and partially through the opening in the other lug, the outer end of the pin being bent back upon itself so as to overlie the first-mentioned lug and having its outer extremity disposed at an angle to its body portion, said extremity having an opening therethrough; a link one. end of which is provided with a hook engaging the opening in the second-mentioned lug, while the body of the link has an opening therein through which the inclined extremity of the pin projects; and a wedge shaped key driven into the opening in said inclined extremity of the pin between the link and the outer end 9. A'fastener for connecting conveyer sections having fastening lugs with al ned apertures, comprising in combination, a pair of hooks, one of which hooks extends into and is confined in the aperture in one lug, and the other of which engages freely in the aperture in the other lug, said hooks being so formed as to enter into wedging engagement with each other to draw the lugs together when the second hook is forced laterally relatively to the first; and means for forcing said second hook direction.

10. A fastener for connecting conveyer sections having fastening lugs with alined apertures, comprising in combination, a pair of hooks, one of which hooks extends into and is confined in the aperture in one ing and extends therethrough into aligningengagement with the aperture in the other lug, and the other of wh ch engages freely in the aperture in the other lug, said hooks being so formed as to enter into wedging'engagement with each other to draw the lugs, together when the second. hook is forced laterally relatively to the first; andmeans for forcing said second hook in such ateral direction.

11. A fastener for connectin conveyor sections havlng fastening lugs wlth alined apertures, compris ng in combination a pair of hooks, one of which hooks extends into and is confined in the aperture in one lug, and the other of which engages freely in the aperture in the other lug, said hooks being so formed as to enter into wedging engagement with each other to draw the lugs to gether when the second hook is forced laterally toward the first; and a wedge reacting between portions of said hooks to force them laterally toward one another. d i

in such lateral erally toward the first; and a wedge reacting between portions of said hooks to force them laterally toward one another.

13. A fastener for adjoining conveyer sections having perforate fastening lugs, comprising a pair of fastening members having hook-shaped portions for engaging with the openings in said lugs, said members belng adapted for adjustable connection with the fastener extending across the line of separation between said lugs exteriorly thereof.

14. A fastener for adjoining conveyer sections having perforate fastening lugs, comprising a pair of members adapted for engagement at their outer ends in said perforated'lugs; and means for connecting said members together at then opposite ends, 'sald fastener being adapted to extend across the line of separation between said lugs exteriorly thereof.

15. A fastener for adjoining conveyer sections having perforate fastening lugs, comprising a member having a shank adapted to be mounted in the opening in one of said lugs and a perforate arm inclined relative to said shank; a second member having a hooked end adapted to be located in the opening of the lug adjoining said first-mentioned lug and perforated at its opposite end to freely receive said inclined arm of the first-mentioned member; and a tapered key adapted to be located in the opening in said inclined arm above the perforate end of the secondmentioned member.

16; A fastener for connecting conveyer sections having contacting fastening lugs with aligned apertures, comprising in combina-' tion, a pair of hooks, one of which hooks extends through the aperture in one lug into other lug, and the other of which hooks engages freely in the aperture in said other lug and has a portion which extends past the plane of contact of said lugsexternally of the lugs and enters into wedging engage ment with the first hook to draw the hooks and the lugs engaged thereby together; and a wedge key for forcing said hooks into such wedging engagement.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ANGUS J. HATT.

aligning engagement with the aperture in v the other lug, and the other of which hooks the lugs and enters into wedging engagement I with the first hook to draw the hooks and the lugs engagedthereby together.

17'. A fastener for connecting conveyer sections having contacting fastening lugs with aligned apertures, comprising in combinae tion, a pair of hooks, one of which-hooks ex- 1 tends-'through the aperture inone lug. into aligning engagement with the aperture in the 

